FRIDAY FUNNY: The Lighter Side Of Surviving In Today's Workplace

Gray Matters starts with the basics and then moves on to cover more complex issues like the Seven Deadly Workplace Sins: exhaustion, anger, surrender, obsolescence, incompetence, withdrawal, and dysfunction.

FRIDAY FUNNY: The Lighter Side Of Surviving In Today’s Workplace

January 17, 2014

FRIDAY FUNNY: The Lighter Side Of Surviving In Today's Workplace

Meet Gray Blanderson, central character in Gray Matters.

Posted by Heidi Schwartz

Back in 2003, Bob Rosner, contributor to ABCNEWS.com, collaborated with journalist Allan Halcrow, and illustrator John Lavin to publish Gray Matters, a comic book look at the trials and tribulations of the modern workplace. More than a decade later, the lighthearted visual book is still taking readers through some very real—and often stressful—scenarios.

Using a fictional setting and funny illustrations, the collaborators introduce readers to the employees of Global Gadget. There is Gray Blanderson, a frazzled employee seeking a promotion; Rick Newman, Gray’s nemesis; S.P. Chang, a Gen-Xer and a wise soul; and Virginia Edgarly, Gray’s boss who will do whatever is required to be the next CEO.

Forget the Australian Outback or the Amazon jungle—today’s toughest survival challenge is the minefield we call work. It’s impossible to “do more with less,” especially with the looming threat of another reorganization, layoff, or other dramatic change. The good news is that you’ve got a power tool for what ails you at work: Gray Matters. This inventive book combines lively visuals, engaging characters, and impudent humor. But Gray Matters also offers hope and proven strategies to show you how to succeed at work today:

How to avoid the seven deadly workplace sins

How to thrive in a changing environment

How to sell (even if you aren’t a salesperson)

The six keys to success at work today

How to handle rapid innovation

How to get on the right side of workplace politics

Think Dilbert with a solution.

Gray Matters starts with the basics and then moves on to cover more complex issues like innovation obstacles, and workplace relationships. Finally, it delves into the Seven Deadly Workplace Sins: exhaustion, anger, surrender, obsolescence, incompetence, withdrawal, and dysfunction.

A follow-up to The Boss’s Survival Guide, this funny guide will help managers navigate change, improve morale, and develop business strategies.

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